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A friendly Highland cow (Hairy Coo) enjoys a mid-day treat near the Scottish countryside. Their calm eyes and trademark fringe make them one of Scotland’s most beloved icons — and apparently, they never say no to a carrot.
Construite entre 1829 et 1834, Victoria Street est réalisée par l’architecte Thomas Hamilton dans le style flamand ancien avec des façades imposantes et des arches proéminentes. La rue remplace l’une des principales artères de la ville, la West Bow, une fente en forme de Z effroyablement raide, offrant un accès beaucoup plus facile du Grassmarket à Castlehill. Nommée Bow Street jusqu’en 1837, elle prendra son nom définitif en 1937 lors de l’accession au trône de la reine Victoria.
La vieille ville d’Edimbourg est remplie d’histoires et de mystères, ce quartier ne fait pas exception. Un homme surnommé le « magicien de l’arc ouest », le Major Weir qui habitait le quartier, fut exécuté pour sorcellerie en 1670. Rien d’étonnant en sachant que plus de 4 000 sorcières présumées ont été mises à mort dans cette ville ressource inépuisable pour tout auteur en quête d’inspiration. J.K. Rowling semble s’être inspirée dans ses romans de Victoria Street pour décrire le chemin de Traverse : cette ruelle un peu biscornue où Harry Potter et ses amis sorciers achètent les fournitures scolaires avant d’aller à Poudlard : Prends une bonne poignée de poudre de cheminette, parles bien fort et distinctement, et dis “chemin de Traverse” ! Avec ses vieux pavés, ses boutiques, ses bâtiments colorées et ses toitures pointues, cette vieille rue correspond en tous points à la description. Les Moldus quant à eux peuvent visiter un magasin jouant sur cette anecdote : le Diagon House (le chemin de Traverse se dit Diagon Alley dans la version originale). Fait amusant, il y avait, dans les années 1990 (année d’écriture du premier tome), une banque et une librairie/papeterie dans cette rue, à peu près situées au même endroit que la banque Gringotts et la boutique de Fleury et Boot dans le Chemin de Traverse. Aujourd’hui vous trouverez de nombreux cafés, des boutiques d’objets en tous genres et une des plus anciennes librairies de la ville.
Built between 1829 and 1834, Victoria Street was designed by architect Thomas Hamilton in the old Flemish style with imposing facades and prominent arches. The street replaces one of the city's main thoroughfares, the West Bow, a frighteningly steep Z-shaped cleft, providing much easier access from the Grassmarket to Castlehill. Named Bow Street until 1837, it took its final name in 1937 when Queen Victoria acceded to the throne.
Edinburgh's Old Town is full of stories and mysteries, this area is no exception. A man nicknamed the “Wizard of the West Arc,” Major Weir, who lived in the neighborhood, was executed for witchcraft in 1670. No wonder more than 4,000 suspected witches were put to death in this resort town inexhaustible for any author in search of inspiration. J.K. Rowling seems to have drawn inspiration from her Victoria Street novels to describe Diagon Alley: that slightly crooked alley where Harry Potter and his wizarding friends buy school supplies before going to Hogwarts: Take a good handful of powdered Floo, speak loud and clear, and say Diagon Alley! With its old cobblestones, its shops, its colorful buildings and its pointed roofs, this old street corresponds in every way to the description. Muggles can visit a store playing on this anecdote: the Diagon House (Diagon Alley is called Diagon Alley in the original version). Fun fact, there was, in the 1990s (the year the first volume was written), a bank and a bookshop/stationery on this street, roughly located in the same place as the Gringotts bank and the shop of Fleury and Boot in Diagon Alley. Today you will find many cafes, shops of all kinds and one of the oldest bookstores in the city.
A place where history and nature come together in perfect harmony.
Kilchurn Castle stands proudly amongst the green hills of Argyll, overlooking the tranquil waters of Loch Awe.
The weathered stone ruins, surrounded by lush woodland and open Highland landscapes, create a timeless and quintessentially Scottish scene.
#KilchurnCastle #LochAwe #Scotland #ScottishHighlands #Argyll #VisitScotland #ScotlandLandscape #ScottishLandscape #Highlands #CastleRuins #LandscapePhotography #ScotlandLovers #TravelPhotography
Reflecting on my recent trip to Falkirk, it was a fantastic day out and the tour of the Kelpies was followed by a visit to the Falkirk Wheel. This is an accidental puddle but makes for a good reflection of the Kelpies with far less people venturing onto the grass to take photographs.
Duke with his head down on the left and Baron with his neck stretched up on the right are based on real horses of that name with the creator of the Kelpies, Andy Scott, spending some time with these wonderful animlas to study their form in preperation for the work ahead. He and Jim Carruth have collaborated on at least three structures in Scotland with Jim's poetry being incorporated into the steelwork. These are Arria at Cumbernauld and Lifeline in Alloa.
Arria is a 10-metre-tall, 7-tonne welded steel public statue of a female form that overlooks the A80/M80 near Cumbernauld.
Lifeline is a public artwork in Alloa, standing at just under 8m tall depicting a giant hand rising from the ground, inspired by the gauntlet on Clackmannanshire’s coat of arms to represent "helping hands" in the community. The hand supports the figures of a woman and a child in its palm and the core narrative driving the design was a tribute to emergency services and the armed forces.
Andy Scott also gave us Heavy Horse, a Clydesdale standing at 4.5m tall, which is located beside the M8 in Glasgow. Well worth slowing down for when you are coming in to Glasgow on the M8.
Alternative title to my Falkirk images though could be "Oops I've done it again" as this was the second time in a month that I have not had my camera with me, this time as I was with a group of people and the forecast had not been great I decided not to take it so only had the mobile with me. Silly me and too influenced by the southern based weather forecasters shouting about a bit of rain. Well it was warm and bright and no rain was seen.
First ScotRail's Class 158 158725 (57725 + 52725) having just made its crossing over the Forth Bridge & into North Queensferry station.
The familiar Cuillin Ridge in silhouette. Probably around thirty miles from this point but still spectacular.
Heading west approaching Glen Coe beside the Kingshouse Hotel on the A82. I've said this before but if you see this scenery with clear blue skies I think that you are missing something.
The mountain in the foreground on the left is Buachaille Etive Mòr, behind it is Buachaille Etive Beag. In the centre but on the north side of the Glen is Aonach Eagach.
Yes, I have done some processing but only minor tweaks.
Earth, water, air and light in harmonic connection with the Universe
Sincronía perfecta entre los elementos y el Universo
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/1250, ISO 100
Glencoe Lochan again. Such a peaceful place but becoming busier and now you even have to pay for your car parking on a new fangled parking machine. No longer the unknown hidden beauty spot and parking spaces more of a premium. Hopefully it doesn't get like Skye's Fairy Pools but with the way things are just now air travel is going to be increasingly expensive and people won't be going to places like Dubai so more stay at home holiday makers will see more visits to places like this. Thanks also to the likes of Visit Scotland who are promoting this as one of a few peaceful locations in Scotland, there are manmy,many more, we should also expect more visitors this year.
I have mixed feelings about it I must be honest and yes I could stop posting such images but if I don't somebody else will so let's all enjoy it and don't ruin the peacefulness and solitude of the place. Leave only footprints, if that.
Explored 3: 26 Feb 2023
Found in this link some text that well describes this beautiful planetary location:
Source: www.andthenimetyoko.com/travel-blog/old-man-of-storr-walk
"What’s the story behind the 160 ft giant rock that sticks out of the ground? There is the scientific story, which is as simple as a long, long time ago, there was a landslide of epic proportions that left the pinnacle and the surrounding rocks standing in their beautiful formation.
But we want a better story than that right? Well, an old Norse legend tells the tale of a giant who lived right there, on Trotternish Ridge. When he passed away he was buried in that spot but the burial was a bit of a hack job and his thumb was left sticking out of the ground."
Picture post-processed in DXO PhotoLab.
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 46.0 mm, 1/320, ISO 100
Isle of skye
The Old Man of Storr is located on the north of Skye in the area known as 'Trotternish'. He looks a bit like an oversized menhir. He was formed following the erosion of The Storr, a peak on the Isle of Skye, because of an ancient landslide. In Scottish Gaelic, which is spoken in parts of Skye, it is known as ‘Bodach an Stòrr’.
The 50m-high rocky outcrop of crumbling basalt is prominent above the road 6 miles north of Portree and can be seen for miles around. It is also the highest point of the Trotternish Ridge. Legend has it that the Old Man of Storr gets its name because the rock outline and the protruding pinnacle resemble that of the face of an old man. “Storr” itself is Norse in origin and is thought to mean “Great Man”.
Yes, he definitely has a face! 😊
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/200, ISO 100
Rhue Lighthouse on Loch Broom with the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry Loch Seaforth off to Stornoway on Lewis. On the opposite side of the Loch is Beinn Ghobhlach at 635m. The other side of this peninsula is Little Loch Broom.
Scotland of course!
Neist Point Lighthouse, source and attractor of light, no matter how cloudy and dark it appears sometimes
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art 015
ƒ/9.0, 20.0 mm, 1/500, ISO 100
Explored 1: 13 Nov 2022
Needle Rock at Storr at Trotternish in the Isle Of Skye, Scotland. Beyond the Old Man stands the Needle Rock - also known as the Cathedral Rock.
Although the Old Man is the dominant pinnacle there are others of which The Needle with its two eyes is probably the easiest to recognise. While in this special planetary place, it is worth allowing time to explore as the Sanctuary is a wonderful location.
The left eye of The Needle looks to me like a heart shaped window ❤️
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/200, ISO 100
Eas a' Bhradain Waterfall (Blackhill Waterfall), Skye
Another magical planetary location
This gorgeous cascade on Allt Coire nam Bruadaran lies just off the A87, the main route from the Skye Bridge at Kyleakin to Portree, and is easily seen from the road. The name 'Eas a' Bhradain' translates from the Gaelic as 'the waterfall of the salmon'.
For more info:
www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Skye/eas-a-bhradain-water...
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 54.0 mm, 1/200, ISO 400
Rum, Eigg, Skye and Muck from Ardnamurchan Point. In the equivalent to an arrogant conversation how much name dropping can you do? Can you get too much of a good thing? The sun is just below/close to the horizon in this shot and illuminating the clouds from underneath.
Details & MakingOf: angeknipst.tiesing.de/2019/dunnottar-castle/
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Explored 21: 23 Apr 2025
Next to Neist Point Lighthouse, a true manifestation of love/light from the Universe down to Earth and the Sea
A magical light reflection on water, a celestial dance of light...
Una danza celestial de luz
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/500, ISO 100
Explored 25: 25 Jun 2025
The Old Man of Hoy, firmly standing as the real king of the North Sea, seen from the ferry on the Scrabster to Stromness route
The Old Man of Hoy is a 137-metre sea stack on Hoy, part of the Orkney archipelago off the north coast of Scotland. Formed from Old Red Sandstone, it is one of the tallest stacks in the United Kingdom. His story begins 400 million years ago when a massive freshwater lake, Lake Orcadie, covered the area from the south coast of the Moray Firth to Shetland in the north. Layers of sand were dumped onto volcanic rock at the bottom of the lake, building up like the rings of a great tree. Over time the lake disappeared, leaving a base of dark basalt lava and alternating layers of soft, sandy and pebbly sandstone and harder flagstones of Upper Old Red Sandstone. This gives the blocky, often overhung profile we see today. The Old Man started life as a slight kink in the coastline, which formed a headland that stuck out into the sea. The Blaeu map of 1600 and the McKenzie map of Hoy of 1750 both show the headland that was later to become the Old Man.
The Old Man stands close to Rackwick Bay on the west coast of Hoy, in Orkney, Scotland, and can be seen from the Scrabster to Stromness ferry. From certain angles it resembles a human figure.
For more info:
www.northlinkferries.co.uk/orkney-blog/the-geology-of-the...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Man_of_Hoy
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 70.0 mm, 1/250, ISO 100
Explored 2: 4 Dec 2022
Sligachan Bridge, Isle of Skye: Waters of Eternal Beauty
Isle of Skye, Scotland
Panorama built in Photoshop by merging a series of three overlapping photos.
The Isle of Skye has always been seen as a magical place. There are some great stories, some true, some legends that go with the landscape of the Isle of Skye.
Located where the Black Cuillin meets the western seaboard, the Sligachan Old Bridge has an impressive history on its own, but what makes this location so incredible is the old folk tale about the enchanted waters that run under the viaduct. Legend has it that if you wash your face in the River Sligachan you'll gain eternal beauty — and whether or not you believe in the story, it's well worth the trip to the Isle of Skye to experience the bridge's undeniable presence.
The Sligachan Old Bridge was built between 1810 and 1818 by engineer Thomas Telford. The bridge is for pedestrians and cyclists only following construction of a new road bridge parallel to it on the A87.
For more info:
www.explorest.com/places/scotland/isle-of-skye/sligachan-...
natpacker.com/destination/sligachan-bridge/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sligachan
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/200, ISO 400
Magical Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye
The Fairy Pools (Scottish Gaelic: Glumagan nan Sithichean) are a natural waterfall phenomenon in Glen Brittle on the Isle of Skye. The Pools lie on Allt Coir a Mhadaidh, a tributary of the River Brittle. The river runs roughly north to south, down the centre of the glen, and is overlooked by the Black Cuillins to the east.
The habitat of the Fairy Pools hosts a variety of animals, such as red deer, rabbits, and sheep. The area is also host to a large number of birds. They may look peaceful today, but the Fairy Pools were sadly the site of a bloody clan battle between the MacDonalds of Sleat and the Macleods of Dunvegan in 1601. The feuding between the Macleods and MacDonalds prompted King James VI to intervene. He forced both clan leaders to release their captives and surrender to royal authority. Hopefully, this will never happen again, never.
For more info:
www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Skye/fairy-pools.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_Pools
About this picture: I really wanted to do a long exposure, but it was so windy that day that I ended up shooting the photo as faster as possible, fortunately not too bad after all 😊.
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/9.0, 28.0 mm, 1/125, ISO 400
Explored 30: 29 Oct 2025
Explored 41: 23 Sep 2026
Statue of the writer Sir Walter Scott and his deerhound Maida, sculpted from Carrara marble by Sir John Steell and set on a platform of huge stone steps at the base of the Scott Monument, Princes Street, Edinburgh.
The Scott Monument is considered the largest memorial to a writer in the world, it was designed by George Meikle Kemp (1795 - 1844). Kemp was a surprising choice, for he was not an architect but a carpenter. Yet his neo-Gothic design beat out competition from established architects and was selected by a panel of judges. Tragically, Kemp drowned in the Union Canal before the Scott Monument was finished. The Monument was begun on 15 August 1840 and officially opened exactly 8 years later. The structure was built just as the new science of photography was being invented, and some of the earliest known photographs ever taken show the Monument being built.
For more info, see: www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Lothian/properties/scott-...
Sony ILCE-7M3,
Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
ƒ/5.6, 43.0 mm, 1/40, ISO 100
Loch Uisg, Mull. Taken as the sun started to dip in the autumnal sky casting a golden light across the land as we headed back to our accommodation.
This is described as Jubilee Wood on the ordnance survey map but I think many of the trees have now gone. If you look at the Google Maps street view of this view from 2022 there is a large timber pile here suggesting that many of the trees were felled or blown over/felled in the that year.